Em at work

Em rounds the windward buoy in Kwark during the last race last weekend, with the wind blowing force 5 and gusting 7.

This is how hard she was prepared to work for her place in the National Combi finals in September.

Thanks to Luwe Stroosma for the great photo.

Em's an Optimist A

The DTP kids at the fourth and final Combi event wave their silverware. Em is holding her plate for fifth place in the Optimist B fleet. This means promotion to the Optimist A's for next year's events and that she qualifies for the National Combi finals on the 12th September in Hoorn.

This weekend Em had to really fight for every point. Nothing went her way but she never gave up and was so proud of her overall fifth. [Me too!]

Hats off to the Schildmeer team who succeeded in getting the full five races in on a weekend beset with squalls and thunderstorms.

Full results at: www.jeugdwedstrijdzeilen.nl

More pictures and Dutch report on www.vwdtp.nl

Third and final round

Lieve, Senna, Eric and 'Willem Johannes' are back at our wharf for the last leg. Tables, stairs, desks, the finishing touches.

It's good to have them back.

Last week

It's a funny, muddled last week of the holidays. Doing things with Em, getting the workshop sorted before starting up again next week, running errands there will be no time for when work and school starts again an doing a bit more building at home on the barge.

Coming weekend we're back on the Schildmeer for an Optimist Regiotraining then Monday it's back to the real world. It's been a great summer break.

More Groningers in Fryslân

Em spent the best part of a week with at Camp Praat in Heeg, Friesland.

She had a great time there with Pim, Gijs, Djurre and Jitse. It sounds as if they spent most of their waking hours in or on the water and Sandra's training seems to have paid off as they took the first four places in the Optimist class during Saturday's Brekken Race at Oudega. Jitse, who was determined not to be last in his first ever Optimist race, wasn't! Great sailing all of you.

Thanks to Charlotte and Hans, and Sandra and Gerard for making this all possible.

DTP OptiTeam at Sneekweek

While we were dressing up in sunglasses and silly shirts, Erwin [L] and Dennis [R] Bouma were battling it out on the Sneekermeer in the Optimist B's.

After an exciting week with all kinds of weather Erwin's consistent sailing brought him another first place, well done Erwin. 

It was close though; Dennis' fighting finish of two bullets in the last two races landed him a solid third place and means he's in form for the last combi of the season over two weeks, back on the Schildmeer. Well done too,  Dennis.

Congratulations too to Wouter Vos for his fourth place, three Groninger Optimists in the first five.

The rest of the DTP sailors' results can be found here: Sneekweek 2010

Yoghurt?

One of the first things Em would say every morning that we were away was, 'do you think Yoghurt is still there?'

No need to worry, one rattle of the cat food bag and Yoghurt appeared, as if by magic. [I hadn't seen that Em had opened the side of the bag until I had uploaded this photo :) ]

Another Schildweek picture

Another great Hanneke Gillessen picture during Sunday's only race on the Schildmeer.

This was our weather and we proved it by sneaking into first place on a long run down the lake and not letting go.

This first place in the Groninger Seaports Race was Claudia's first sailing prize ever, and we made the newspapers - an Englishman winning at Schildweek making it an international event.

Polo, the Hunk of the Sneekweek

We went to Sneek today to see how Em's friend Pim got on in his first Sneekweek. 

We had our photo taken too. Is Pim the Sneekweek hunk, or is it Polo?

Our own barge as obstruction

We took the whole fleet to the Schildmeer for the 65th Schildweek regatta.

We anchored the barge in front of 'Camping de Otter'. We thought that this was out of the way of the racing but during Saturday's racing we sneaked round the breakwater and then had to tack to clear our own anchor line. Strung up on our own rope.

Not that it made much difference. We were struggling in 16 to 18 knots of wind, an unusual course and a fleet full of talented sailors. We learnt a lot though and what marvellous weather for sailing.

Thanks to Hanneke Gillessen for this beautiful photo. More to come.

Breaking down the walls

Back from our sailing trip to the Schildmeer and back to work on 'Op Hoop van Zegen'.

Having built a new wall and doors further down the hold it's time to dismantle the old wall, now in the middle of the room. This was one of the first things we put in about fifteen years ago; strange to be taking our own work apart.